CORE

Chapter II - The Bandits of Barabbas

Two days had passed since they entered the forest. Two days of Acel looking behind his back and sitting through sleepless nights waiting to see something of this shadow again. Nothing had happened since he hit that thing with a rock but that only heightened Acel's fear.

"If something has not happened yet then it must happen soon,"  he had thought many times. Acel was not proud of these thoughts, his father has told him hysteria was a killer of men but he could not stop these thoughts from appearing.

All he could do was wait for something to happen. Then it did.

They were on the wagon after a night's rest by the road rolling further through the forest when it came to a sudden halt. The sudden stop sent Acel and the other passengers into the cargo right behind the driver. Disgruntled, Acel and the others looked out from the side of the wagon to see what had happened.

Acel could see around nine men standing at the road, two on either side of the road and four in the middle with one ahead of them all closest to the wagon...each of them had an armband with an insignia of a stone tree on it, an intimidating appearance, and most importantly, weapons in their hands and on their waists. They wore brigandine with chainmail covering their arms and legs with a metal helms over their long unkempt hair.

The bandits had found them.

As the wagon skidded to a halt the one man standing closest to them walked towards the wagon slowly with the confidence unseen in average men. With short neat brown hair compared to the long unkempt hair of the other men behind him, a less rough appearance, and a sly smile. He was clearly the most sophisticated and charismatic of the group. Acel assumed he was the leader. This sly bandit approached the driver at the side of the carriage next to the horse while his comrades surrounded the wagon from all sides. Acel listened into their conversation.

"Good day, merchant friend. What brings you into our forest today?" the Sly Bandit said with enough charm that even Acel almost believed this man had naught but good intentions.

"I'm heading west to sell my goods and provide simple transport for these men and women." Said the Driver sounding like he had rehearsed this exchange before.

"Might I ask what goods you are carrying?" replied the Sly Bandit.

With perhaps faked confidence Driver replied "I'm carrying grains, breads, fruits, and the like. As some of that famous Kaléan honey-mead." particularly boastful about his honey-mead.

"Honey-mead eh?" the Sly Bandit said impressed "I've ne're smelt a whiff of the stuff. Perhaps, if you so incline, we could share a drink together. For luck and fortune and all that" he added and started to laugh heartily.

"Why, of course" replied The Driver merrily as he started to be affected by the bandit's heartiness.

Suddenly the bandit stopped laughing abruptly and said "However, first I am going to need you and your passengers to get out of the wagon and line up on the side of the road," the Sly Bandit said pointing to the edge of the road next to two of his comrades, both of which have their weapons in hand.

"Why?" The Driver asked, confusion in his voice, "I don't remember having to do this."

"It's a new fee, we now charge per person coming through our land. Now please line up over there, before we have to make you." ordered the Sly Bandit who now no longer sounded nice and charming. Acel could tell that the Driver did not want to comply, but he obeyed anyway. Fear and intimidation can persuade almost anyone.

Acel heard heavy footsteps approach the wagon, looking behind him to the back of the wagon, he saw the lip that kept the cargo from falling out the back open slowly and a large man wielding a spear entered the wagon.